Acts 19:12

12 so that even handkerchiefs or work aprons {that had touched his skin} were carried away to those who were sick, and [their] diseases left them and the evil spirits came out [of them].

Acts 19:12 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 19:12

So that from his body were brought unto the sick
The Ethiopic version renders it, "from the extremity", or "border of his garment"; and the Syriac version, "from the garments which were upon his body"; were brought and put upon the sick; that is, of the clothes which the apostle wore, some of them were taken and carried to sick persons, and used by them: particularly "handkerchiefs" or "aprons"; the former were such as he might use to wipe his face with, and remove sweat, or any filth from the body; and the latter, what he might wear as a mechanic, when working at his trade:

and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out
of them;
who were afflicted and possessed with them; these were some of the special and uncommon miracles wrought by the hands of the apostle, and which were wrought in an uncommon way; and which most clearly showed that they were wrought by a divine power.

Acts 19:12 In-Context

10 And this took place for two years, so that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.
11 And God was performing {extraordinary} miracles by the hands of Paul,
12 so that even handkerchiefs or work aprons {that had touched his skin} were carried away to those who were sick, and [their] diseases left them and the evil spirits came out [of them].
13 But some itinerant Jewish exorcists also attempted to pronounce the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, "I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches!"
14 (Now seven sons of a certain Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this.)

Footnotes 3

  • [a]. Literally "from his skin"
  • [b]. *Literally "the"; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
  • [c]. *The words "[of them]" are not in the Greek text but are implied
Scripture quotations marked (LEB) are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.